


Beautiful Death | Ereri One Shot

by misguided_joy



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Caring Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, eren has conflicted thoughts, i dont really know how to tag this, levi helps him out a bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:40:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29209764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misguided_joy/pseuds/misguided_joy
Summary: He couldn’t understand how death could possibly be beautiful. Shouldn’t she be angry? Sad and crying and screaming on the ground?
Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager
Kudos: 26





	Beautiful Death | Ereri One Shot

**Author's Note:**

> idrk what this is? i just kinda wrote it using a prompt i came up with one day and acted on it so yeah- enjoy?
> 
> (also its ereri so ofc there's that age gap thing but for the sake of me hating to write something with such a big gap we are gonna say that levi is in his early twenties instead of thirties in this one shot k?)

Coming back from expeditions was never easy but this time was different from the rest. It was normal for the crowd to cheer for them and wish them prayers for the fallen loved ones and it was normal for the crowd to criticize them while throwing stray objects their way. This day however a lady in her mid-thirties had approached the commander and asked about her daughter. When she was told her daughter, whose name was Marie, had died she didn’t cry or scream like other mothers. Instead, her face held something along the lines of satisfaction if you could even call it that.

“Oh… I see.” The woman spoke softly. “She’s gone. Did she leave this world doing what she loved most? Fighting titans?”

“Yes, ma’am she did.” The commander gave her a curt nod and made to ride away.

As Eren rode past on his own horse he overheard the woman speaking to a young boy. She kneeled beside him as he cried into her shoulder and he assumed the mother was telling her other child about the death of their loved one. Maybe it’s the lack of grief on the mother’s face but something didn’t sit right with Eren and as he rode by he figured out why.

“She’s passed my beautiful boy; she’s gone. Marie won’t be coming home again but that’s ok because she died a beautiful death. Remember what I told you?” The little boy looked into his mother’s eyes, his still glassy from the tears filling them, and nodded carefully. “That’s right. Death is a beautiful thing.” The lady combed her fingers through her son’s hair and that was the last thing Eren heard before he was too far away to hear anything else.

It shook him to the core what she said. He couldn’t understand how death could possibly be beautiful. Shouldn’t she be angry? Sad and crying and screaming on the ground? He wanted to puke, her words leaving such an ugly feeling inside him and he didn’t know if he would be able to eat dinner with the others later that night.

* * *

“Eren are you alright? You’ve gone really pale since we got back from the expedition.” Armin pointed out as he, Eren, and Mikasa sat at the table alongside Jean, Sasha, and Connie.

They had only just sat down but Eren had yet to take any sort of interest in his food unlike usual. He just sat staring at it and not paying any mind to the concerned looks he was receiving from his friends. At this point, it was very obvious something was going and he wasn’t saying something. Historia and Ymir came to sit with the group after noticing the worrisome atmosphere coming from the table of six. Mikasa had tried to lift a spoonful of food to his lips but he backed away from her and Armin had to put a hand on his friend’s back so he wouldn’t fall backward from how forceful the girl was being.

“Eren you have to eat. You look awful and as if you’re going to be sick.” She frowned and set the spoon down on his plate again. She lifted to place a hand on his shoulder but Eren rose from where he sat.

“I just overheard something a woman said earlier… Something I can’t understand is all. I’ll be fine you guys.”

Eren knew he was lying. He wouldn’t be ok until he figured out why what the woman said bothered him so much but he couldn’t bring it up to the others because they would only question him and make him wonder even more why it mattered what words to said to console a broken brother.

* * *

It was later that night when Levi came around. Eren was sitting on the small hill that stood outside the base with his hands behind his head and leaning back looking at the night sky above him. Levi sat next to him with a packet of crackers in his hand.

“Don’t even try to argue, just sit up and eat  _ something _ .” He told him.

So he complied and took a bite of the almost stale crackers. They were dry and had close to no taste but at that moment it was all Eren needed to not feel like throwing up his guts.

“So you gonna tell me what’s got you so wound up and making those brat friends of yours come asking me for help?” Levi didn’t look at the younger boy, Eren knew if he did all his boyfriend would see in his eyes would be confusion and emptiness.

“Is death beautiful Levi?”

And suddenly it felt like the world came crashing down on him. Eren felt everything he ever bottled up come flowing out into tears and it caused his body to shake. He wanted to curl up and never wake up from this disgusting illusion.

“Was it beautiful when my mom was eaten? Or when I had to watch my team be taken out one by one? Or what about when I was swallowed whole by a titan and nearly died myself? Because I don’t get how it could be beautiful. Not in this life!” Eren cried and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes to try and stop the tears from leaking down his face.

He felt himself being pulled closer to Levi and soon his body was engulfed in warmth. His boyfriend was hugging him close and rubbing his back soothingly. It felt nice and in time his sobs faded into silent hiccups. Levi looked at Eren finally, his grey orbs staring back at emerald ones.

“The only thing beautiful about death is the fact that you don’t have to worry about it anymore. You’re not scared for your life every time you go outside.” Levi sighed. “Then again that’s just how I see it.”

And just like that everything Eren was crying over meant nothing because he almost forgot how much death Levi had seen in his time living. He wasn’t saying that because he’d seen more blood and pain than him it meant Eren’s worries were dumb but it just reminded him that everybody had their own opinions about death and Eren’s just happened to match up with his captains…

Death isn’t beautiful, it’s ugly but at least you’re not suffering anymore right?


End file.
